Xylitol is a sugar substitute that has numerous health benefits that include preventing cavities, gingivitis, and bacteria buildup and prevents ear infections. Xylitol is good for diabetics since the body doesn’t use insulin to metabolize it and it has a low glycemic index. Warning: Even a small amount of xylitol can be fatal for dogs, so be careful with it.
There has always been a search for the perfect sugar substitute. Many times when a sugar substitute was found, it turned out to be bad for our health. Could xylitol be the healthy sugar substitute?
What is Xylitol
Xylitol is a five-carbon sugar and was first approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as a food additive in 1963. Xylitol is a sugar alcohol that looks like sugar and is as sweet as sugar but has 40 percent fewer calories and a very low glycemic index (GI) with no odd or bitter aftertaste.
It is made by extracting xylan either from birch trees, straw, almond shells or corn cobs and then broken down into xylose. After extracting this wood sugar from its source, it is combined with hydrogen to make the sugar alcohol. It also occurs naturally in fruits and vegetables and is produced by our bodies through metabolism.
Calories and Glycemic Index of Xylitol
Xylitol has a glycemic index between 7 and 13, less than 3 calories per gram and 75% fewer carbohydrates than regular sugar. Regular table sugar has a glycemic index of 68 and four calories per gram.
As a sugar substitute, the calorie difference isn’t that huge. The big difference is the glycemic index, which means that xylitol should not cause a rise in insulin and might not lead to weight gain like regular table sugar does.
The Oral Health Benefits of Xylitol
Gum containing xylitol can prevent bacteria from building up on teeth and prevent cavities and dental caries. It can also help people with gingivitis, gum disease and can also prevent dry mouths and bad breath.
Another interesting finding found that children between the ages of 19 and 31 months of age who had the streptococcus mutant bacteria on their teeth had more cavities. The children usually acquired the bacteria from their mothers through kissing, food sharing, and sharing cups.
The study found a 70% reduction in the tooth decay of these children when their mothers chewed gum that contained xylitol [1].
Xylitol Oral Health Benefits in Adults
A randomized double-blind study tested the effect xylitol alone or a combination of chlorhexidine acetate and xylitol would have on dental plaque and gingivitis in 111 elderly occupants of a residential home. The patients were given either gum containing a combination of xylitol and chlorhexidine acetate, gum with just xylitol or no gum.
This study found the group that had the combination gum fared the best with a significant decrease in both plaque and gingivitis indices. The group that had the xylitol only gum had a significant decrease in only the plaque [2].
This study also found that this combination gum can also lower the risk of getting thrush which is a fungal infection that can cause mouth soreness. It also reduced the incidence of angular cheilitis which causes sores in the mouth.
The patients who chewed the gum that contained only the xylitol lowered the risk of these health conditions, but not as much as the combination gum did [3].
Xylitol Prevents Ear Infections
A three-month randomized Finnish study in 1998 found that xylitol can also prevent acute otitis media or ear infections. The study divided 857 children into five groups; these groups received one of the following per day:
- Control syrup
- Xylitol syrup
- Control chewing gum
- Xylitol chewing gum
- Xylitol lozenges
The daily doses ranged from 8.4 grams of xylitol chewing gum to 10 grams of xylitol in the syrup.
The occurrence of ear infections was 40 percent less in the children who received the xylitol gum, a 30 percent decrease with the xylitol syrup group and a 20 percent decrease in ear infections with the children who took xylitol lozenges.
During the follow-up period, the incidence of ear infections was significantly lower in the children who received the xylitol gum or syrup and decreased their needs for antibiotics compared with those in the control (non-xylitol) groups [4].
Xylitol and Diabetes
Xylitol can be a healthy sugar substitute for people with diabetes since the glycemic index is much lower than sugar and doesn’t cause a surge in insulin. It is metabolized slowly and without using insulin [5].
Can Xylitol Suppress Appetite
A small study with 15 recruits found that eating yogurt with xylitol and polydextrose caused a satiating effect (full feeling) and suppression of caloric intake and this effect lasted after repeated daily intake. This type of food could help people lose weight by feeling fuller and less caloric intake [polydextrose].
More Health Benefits of Xylitol Include
- Can possibly increase bone density and protect against osteoporosis
- Is an antifungal and can also prevent gastrointestinal Candidiasis or Candida Albicans
- In a study using rats, it was found to have an anti-adhesive effect and inhibited the growth of Streptococcus pneumonia [6]
- Used as a nasal spray can also decrease sinus infections by reducing the bacteria in the nose. This can also clean out the allergens that accumulate in the nose from allergies
- Chewing xylitol gum or mints stimulates saliva which alkalizes the mouth for healthier teeth
- It can increase the absorption of vitamin B and calcium
Side Effects of Xylitol
If you eat too much, it could act as a laxative causing diarrhea. Over time diarrhea should stop as your body becomes used to digesting it.
Warning: Xylitol is Poisonous to Dogs
Xylitol is fatal to dogs and can be found in many products you might not even be aware of, like gum, chewable vitamins, and candies. Just three grams can kill a 65-pound dog and lesser amounts for smaller dogs [7].
If you cook anything with Xylitol, don’t forget and give your dog some of it and if you should spill any on the floor, remember, your dog will most likely lick it up since it does taste like sugar.
And dogs have a sweet tooth like we do. If you think your dog has eaten anything with xylitol in it, call the veterinarian or take your dog there immediately.
Conclusion
Xylitol appears to be a safe and healthy sugar substitute with fewer calories and a much lower glycemic index than regular sugar. It looks and tastes like sugar and can be used as a sugar substitute for most recipes except foods that contain yeast. The health benefits of xylitol sound impressive.
About the Author
Sam Montana is a certified Food Over Medicine instructor from the Wellness Forum Health Center and certified in optimal nutrition from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Copyright © April 2011-2019 Sam Montana
Resources:
[1] PubMed J Dent Res. 2006 February; 85(2): 177–181.
[2] PubMed J Clin Periodontol 2001 Nov;28(11):1010-5.
[3] PubMed J Clin Periodontol. 2001 Nov;28(11):1010-5.
[4] PubMed Pediatrics 1998 Oct:102 (4 pt 1):879-84
[5] PubMed Diabetologia. 1981 Jul;21(1):37-40.
[6] PubMed: Mattila PT, Kangasmaa H, Knuuttila ML. The effect of a simultaneous dietary administration of xylitol and ethanol on bone resorption. Metabolism. 2005 Apr;54(4):548-51. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2004.11.011. PMID: 15798965.
[7] Snopes - Xylitol is dangerous to a dogs health
[2] PubMed J Clin Periodontol 2001 Nov;28(11):1010-5.
[3] PubMed J Clin Periodontol. 2001 Nov;28(11):1010-5.
[4] PubMed Pediatrics 1998 Oct:102 (4 pt 1):879-84
[5] PubMed Diabetologia. 1981 Jul;21(1):37-40.
[6] PubMed: Mattila PT, Kangasmaa H, Knuuttila ML. The effect of a simultaneous dietary administration of xylitol and ethanol on bone resorption. Metabolism. 2005 Apr;54(4):548-51. doi: 10.1016/j.metabol.2004.11.011. PMID: 15798965.
[7] Snopes - Xylitol is dangerous to a dogs health
